In Which A Child Is Key
by GreenMartini
Summary: Harry asks Draco to do him a favor. Draco obliges. Little did they know that the favor would lead to more than three people could have ever bargained for... Chapt. 3 now up! Summary doesn't tell all, you'll have to discover the madness for yourself
1. The Gains and Losses

Title: In Which A Child Is Key

Genre: Humor/Tragedy (This makes better sense when you read it…)

Rating: T

Warning(s): Nothing harsh, except a perverted Harry in the beginning….

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I would be worrying about finishing the seventh book by July and not sitting here writing a fanfiction about my own works! In other words…I don't own anything except the Dell laptop I typed this on.

Summary: Harry asks Draco to do him a favor. Draco obliges. Little did they know that the favor would lead to more than the three people could have ever bargained for.

* * *

_Knock. Knock. Knock. _The sharp raps beat repeatedly into the sturdy cedar of the wooden door.

"Malfoy! It's Harry! I need to talk to you!"

"Give me a minute," came the voice from the other side of the door. A moment later the door opened to reveal none other than Slytherin's former House member, Draco Malfoy. "You couldn't have waited another ten minutes, could you, Potter?"

"Why, would you have done pleasuring yourself then?"

"As if I need to Potter," Malfoy scoffed. "No, if you would have waited, I could have finished my shower and gotten dressed."

Harry had finally realized that Malfoy had in fact just gotten out of the shower. The only thing that kept the blonde from flashing the neighbors was a loosely tied towel around his waist. Water dripped from his soaked hair, falling off his every edge, forming a puddle on the floor around him.

"Oh, sorry about that," Harry said; the embarrassment evident in his voice.

"Why, Potter, I do believe you're blushing," Draco said with a grin and a roll of his eyes. He reached up and took hold of Harry's thick black hair and pulled him forward. "Get in here, it's freezing." He closed the door with a sharp _bang_, then he let go of Harry's mop-top. "Make yourself at home Potter. I am going to get dressed."

"Oh for the love of Pete-" Harry groaned. Draco felt the magic rift in the air before he felt the effect of it. He let his traditional smirk mold his amused features as he realized Potter had transfigured his towel into a pair of baggy black sweatpants. He turned around to face the green eyed boy whose smirk mirrored his own.

"Have you got a thing for me, Potter?"

"What makes you think that, Malfoy?"

"You gave me pants, but failed to clothe my torso. So either you're pathetic with magic, on your prefer me half naked. Which is it?"

"Well, ever since we came up with our _truce_ I honestly cannot stop thinking about you. Everyday I think about living with you so that I can watch you walk around with everything hanging loose, no clothing to shield the view. I want to wake up beside you every morning after falling asleep to the sweet motion of your lips against mine…" Draco gulped loudly at the realization that at some point during the conversation, Harry had gotten off the chair and sauntered over. Draco found himself sitting on the couch, Potter hovering over him. "If you really wanted too, we could just skip the part where we sit and chat each other up and then just run to the bedroom. First there gets to top…" Harry said, bracing himself on the arm of the chair, preparing to sprint around the small apartment to find the bedroom before the other man.

Draco could not make his voice work, no matter how hard he tried. He wanted to tell Potter to shove off and sit in his own chair, but all he ended up doing was give the look of someone trying to read an article written in code; they form every word with their lips but no sound ever comes out.

Potter let out a gale of laughter and gave Draco a sharp tap on the cheek. "Pervert, you're not that lucky. Besides, Ginny would be pissed if I got to you before she did…" Harry said with a wink as he stood and sauntered back to the armchair. "For future reference, where is the bedroom?"

"One, I'm not gay. I never have been, and I never will be. Secondly, I would have gotten to top; I'm already on my bed."

"You sleep on the couch? I thought you were above that," Harry said with a feigned shock.

Draco picked up a small pillow lying on the couch and threw it at Harry who caught it laughing. "I do have a bedroom, but in this scenario I'm not allowed to tell you where it is for fear of being buggered by a gay man married to a woman…" Both boys gave the other a confused look and shrugged it off. "So, back to business. Why did you come to find me, Potter? You of all people knew to look for me in a Muggle community, there has to be a reason for it."

"Actually, I have a favor to ask of you. No, it has absolutely nothing to do with sex, or anything related to sex. Well, if you want to be technical, it's one of the many results that can occur from sex and-"

"Potter, just spit it out!" Malfoy said, becoming irritated with the other boy's babbling.

"I wanted to know if you were busy tonight," Harry said slowly.

"Only if somehow Pansy followed you here, and let me tell you, if you did that I will be forced to kill you," Draco said shuddering at the thought of his clingy former Housemate.

"No, she didn't follow me…nobody did. No, Ginny and I were wondering if you could watch after Autumn." At Draco's blank look he added, "Our daughter."

"Oh, that Autumn. I don't believe I've met her come to think of it," Draco said thoughtfully. "No matter, if you really want me to I'm free. I don't have much to do here though…"

"She won't mind, she's happy just sitting around and watching. Well, I had best be getting home, they'll begin to wonder whether you murdered me or not," Harry said with a reminiscing smile. "Would bringing her over at nine be alright?"

"Perfect, I'll see you then Potter," he said as the two shared a handshake at the door and Harry pulled the door shut behind him.

Draco sighed as he walked back into his living room. He ran a hand through his blonde hair that was due for a trim. He pulled his hair away looking disgusted. "Nasty, dry shampoo," he scoffed and headed back to the bathroom for another round of scrubbing.

* * *

At nine o'clock Draco Malfoy could be found sitting on the couch with his feet propped up on the cocktail table in front of him. His grey eyes were glued to the television set in front of him. Colors flashed from the box, lighting up the man on the couch and the wall behind him with a mesmerizing array of colors. The swift knock that he had heard on his door only hours before resounded around the apartment. Draco stood up and sauntered over to the door. With a flick of his wrist, the light switched and light flooded the room, casting shadows in the crevices and behind the structures of the seating and tables. With a resolute sigh, he turned the knob of the door and revealed the "dark haired man of his dreams" as they had joked about earlier, and his daughter who clung to his hand as if he would vanish into thin air if she let go.

"Evening, Draco," Potter said, giving the blonde a slight smile.

"Harry," he acknowledged with a slight nod. Then he bent down, settling himself on one knee. "And you must be Autumn," he said with a smile to the little girl.

Autumn met his gaze with a confident smile and held out her hand.

Holding back a small chuckle, Draco took it and together they shared a handshake. "Pleasure to meet you. Well, let's not stand in the hallway all evening, please, come in," Draco said and stood back to allow them room to pass.

"Now you're sure you'll be fine with her overnight?" Harry inquired with a look that told he had been brooding on it all afternoon.

"Positive, Harry, she'll be fine. Just go and enjoy yourself." Draco said taking the duffle-like overnight bag from Harry and set it behind the couch. Harry bent down next to his daughter and kissed her on the cheek, a gesture which she returned to him along with a small hug. "Have fun," Draco heard Harry whisper in her ear. He couldn't help but realize that this was the part of life that he wanted most, but could not have quite yet. Draco just wanted a child of his own, one that he could tell that it would be all right, something his parents had stopped doing for him as soon as he turned five. Tonight was his trial to see if this was what he really wanted…

Harry released his daughter and stood up and pulled Draco into a hug. "Thank you," he said quietly and let Draco go.

Draco watched somberly as Harry walked out of the door without another word, shutting it behind him with a small _click_.

"So, Autumn, what do you want to do?" Draco asked, expecting the girl to have started walking around, viewing the house as everyone usually did. Instead, he found her standing just where Harry had left her, except now her eyes followed his every movement instead of watching her father. "Do you want to watch television?" The little girl gave a short nod and followed Draco over to the couch like a little duck that was following its mother.

Draco was becoming baffled at the small child's behavior. Most children that Draco knew at her age were hyper and constantly jumping around and screaming at the top of their lungs. Autumn though kept to herself, and she had not said a word at all since she arrived on the door step with Harry. When Draco sat on the left side of the couch, she sat on the far right, pressing herself up against the arm. He was going to ask her if she wanted to watch something else besides the game show he had been watching before they arrived, but it seemed fruitless for Draco knew she would just look at him with those big eyes and stare at him until he asked her a yes or no question.

Looking over at the little child, he came to realize why they named her Autumn. Her red hair was so like her mother's yet so very different at the same time. She had followed the traditional Weasley red, but the black of Harry's hair had caused it to turn into a deep red that made her skin look paler than it should be for a girl her age. Her green eyes that she inherited from her father were the color of the deciduous leaves before they changed colors for the fall.

The clock on the mantle gave off a steady ticking as the game show was replaced by another, each of them slowly getting more boring by the minute. Time seemed to stretch on and on as Draco watched the second game show. When the half-hour block was up, he looked over at Autumn, who at some point had fallen asleep against the arm of the chair. She was so quiet he did not realize her drift off into slumber. With a tired yawn, he leaned forward and pressed the power button on the remote. With a low _click_ the television went black, the room losing what little light it had. The apartment was not hard to navigate through when you lived there for over two years so Draco easily picked up the young girl, who stayed fast asleep, and got her to the guest bedroom with minimal effort. After she had been put in bed and covered so she would not freeze, though he doubted she would in the warm early summer weather, he sauntered off to his own room for a few hours of sleep.

Sleep did not come as easily as he would have hoped though. He spent a good hour of the night just staring up at the ceiling wondering about the small child. She seemed a bit too shy to be Harry and Ginny's daughter. Now, true to the fact that he knew nobody on Harry's side of the family, Ginny's side of the family was nothing close to shy. The Weasley Clan seemed to have quite the knack of being the center of attention whether or not they meant to be.

"Gha!" Draco bolted upright at the feeling of a hand ghosting over his shoulder. His hand turned the knob on his night table's lamp and the dull light exposed the form of Autumn. The little girl looked frightened at Draco's sudden outburst and he immediately flung the covers off of him and got off the bed. "Autumn, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that, I'm just not used to someone else being here," he blathered quickly, though it didn't seem to calm the little girl down any. Draco took a deep breath and let it out then said "What did you need?" When the little girl just stared at him with those glossy green eyes Draco remembered the "yes or no question" rule that they seemed to have silently agreed upon. "Did you get scared?" he asked and she nodded slowly as if ashamed to admit it. "Would you like to stay in here tonight?" The little girl nodded and she walked around the bed to the other side and climbed in, resting her head against the pillow and watching him as he watched her. Draco climbed back into bed and pulled the covers over the both of them, which Autumn did not seem to mind. Once the little red-head was certain that Draco was in bed and was not going anywhere, her eyes fluttered shut and her breathing became even and steady. Soon after, Draco followed her into slumber as the lateness of the night embraced him.

_

* * *

Tap. Tap. Tap. Draco groaned as once again this night, he was awoken by conditions that usually waited until at least seven to wake him up. He rolled on to his side looking at the window. A small screech-owl was insistently pecking at the window, seeking entrance in the small apartment to get to Draco. Looking around and noticing the light in the room, Draco thought perhaps he had slept late and the owl was delivering the morning post. When his gaze reached the side table, he realized that he left the lamp on before he went back to sleep. With a moan from moving tired muscles, Draco stood and walked over to the window, pushing it open. Immediately, the owl flew in the window and perched on the footing of the bed, leg throw out and waiting for Draco. Not bothering to close the window, Draco walked over and took the letter from the little bird that then flew out the window at the completion of his job. Draco was frantically tearing at the edge of the envelope. With a glance at his watch he noticed that it was three in the morning. For the life of him he could not figure out what would be so important that they had to contact him in the middle of the night. Opening the letter he read:_

_To Mr. Draco Malfoy:_

_It has come to our attention that you are presently in custody of Ms. Autumn Potter. News has been brought forth to the community and a meeting with you is in order. We will Apparate to your apartment at precisely 3:05 a.m.. _

_Cornelius Fudge,_

_Minister of Magic's Advisor_

Draco reread the paper again. Fudge was coming here regarding something to with Autumn, Harry Potter's daughter. Draco's immediate thought was that Potter had set him up and used his daughter as a trap. He could have easily made it look like he kidnapped Autumn and then had him arrested for it. Draco began to panic, he had no witnesses on his side of the case, the Muggles that lived around him would not be out side of their apartments at nine at night. They all returned much before or much later than that. Draco heard the distinct _pop_ that only came with Apparation and closed his eyes, praying it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

"Mr. Malfoy, where are you? I'm sure by now you received my letter…" Came the voice of Cornelius Fudge from the living room.

Draco sighed and sulked out to the living room, ready to meet his fate as a criminal. the life that he worked so hard to avoid had come to find him unknowingly.

"Mr. Fudge," Draco said, nodding at the former Minister of Magic.

"Ah, there you are, Draco. I need to talk to you about something that occurred this night."

This was it, the worst of it, where he was told his crime, read his rights, and taken away to Azkaban to live out his life. Well, on the plus side, he would not have to work any longer…

"Draco, Mr. and Mrs. Potter are…no longer with us," Fudge stated quietly, his face downcast.

"I kn- wait, what? Harry and Ginny are, _dead_?" Draco said, realization smacking him in the head like a brick.

"I'm afraid so."

"But-how?" Draco asked as his face was drained of what little color it had.

"They went out for a late night dinner and Harry received news of He-who-must-not-be-named's whereabouts. The two of them went out searching and unfortunately, the tip-off that they received was just a trap. The Dark Lord had gotten two of many people that he wanted, and made it so he had two less to deal with."

"So, Autumn…what happens with her?" The sinking pit in his stomach told him that the little girl had no where to go.

"We informed everyone in the Weasley family, including parents and all siblings of Ginny's. They have all agreed to let her decide where she wants to stay."

"Okay…she's in the bedroom sleeping. Do you want to wait until morning or…."

"I think we should wake her now. I'll tell her if you would like to just wait here," Fudge said and he walked off.

Draco sunk down and sat against the couch, his legs folded before him. The tears that had been threatening to break loose since he's heard the news had finally beaten him and he let them flow freely. He threw his head back in aggravation against the back of the couch. One night. That was all that it took to change the fate of the world forever. One little girl's life was ruined because of a crazy psycho whose dream was to rule the world. Draco suddenly realized how Harry must have felt all his life, never having anyone there to talk to about anything and he could not imagine Harry's daughter being forced to do the same thing in such a horrible world. So there Draco sat, crying, with his head in his hands, wishing for nothing more than to be able to break the hourglass that controlled time and then put it back together, turning it back to yesterday. Then maybe, just maybe he could save Potter and give the little girl back her father and mother…

"Mr. Malfoy, are you all right?" Fudge's voice cut through his thoughts.

"F-fine," he said looking up through his bloodshot eyes at Fudge. Beside him stood Autumn, though she looked like nothing had happened. She still bore that same studious look that she had walked in with.

"I have other people that I need to see. Would it be too much of a burden for you to keep Ms. Potter for a little while longer?"

Draco could not answer. This was all just too much. Since his voice had betrayed him he just nodded no, it certainly would not be a burden on him in any way.

"Very well, if you need anything just write," Fudge said and then he walked out of the door without another word.

Draco looked over at Autumn whose face had took on a determined expression. She walked over to him and placed her hands on either side of his face and lifted it up to face hers. She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his forehead and cradled his tear stroked face to her chest.

"Draco."

The voice made him lift his head and look up at the girl; it was the first time that he had ever heard her voice. "Yes, Autumn?"

"If it's okay with Mr. Fudge, can I live here with you?" The little girl asked him with a small smile.

Draco debated it for a moment and then pulled the small girl into his lap and held her close. "Of course you can, Autumn."

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! Whether you liked it or not I would very much appreciate if you could take just a few seconds to reveiw it! I worked hard on this one! Thanks again!!! Rave


	2. Who needs pictures

A/N: Welcome to the long-awaited chapter two. I hope it's up to par, it took me forever to write. Disclaimer is in the first chaper. Um...o and thank you to the very few of you who reviewed chapter one (hint:: more people would be really really nice so I know what you think of the story. If it helps I'm not baised against flames, they entertain me --grin--))

* * *

Chapter Two: Who needs pictures with a memory like mine…

Draco Malfoy was usually not one to be content just sitting around doing nothing. For the past few days though, that was all that he could seem to do. The past sixty hours had come and gone as if they were nothing but a grain of salt buried in the sands of time. The last time Draco could remember his body being in such a comic state was when he was drugged and forced to relax after a particularly nasty bout of the Cruciatus Curse. This comaesque state was much more relaxing physically, but was beginning to take its toll on him mentally.

The reason for his seeming mental distress was that he recently had gotten a child that he was to look after for the rest of his days on Earth. The odd part about this was that he had never been married and had not been in a serious relationship since his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There had been a few scattered meaningless dates that his longtime friend, Blaise Zabini, has conned him into participating in. Those meetings with the lasses Blaise had found never went past the first dinner. The girls did just not appeal to him. The young lad seemed to want to pair Draco with girls that would be quite the opposite of what he was looking for. The girls seemed to be only into status and looks, caring nothing about whether they were able to talk to the person that they would be spending eternity with.

During the art of hunting for the mate of another, you are sure to be looking for something that you like as well. Blaise did just that. He seemed to find a girl that liked scouting out the opposite sex as much as he did, making them the perfect couple. He got to check out other girls and she got to check out the other guys. Draco shook his head at his friend's fortune, and he vaguely remembered falling off the couch laughing when Blaise had come and told him that he was due to be married in a matter of months. Draco thought with a groan that the wedding was in one week, only more to add to his list of thoughts for the time being.

The little girl that he had adopted was Autumn Potter.

Autumn was nothing you would expect from a six year old child. Instead of being bursting with energy, she was quiet and preferred the "sit and watch" technique. Her calculating green eyes took everything around her in. Draco was beginning to wonder whether anything had ever slipped past the young child's mind. Even now, as they sat in the park in the midst of everything, her gaze watched to see what he was doing as she went in and our of his range of vision.

Currently, he was sitting on the swing in the middle of the park just down the street from his apartment. The park was calm due to lack of human population, though the birds seemed more than happy to have the room. As his stomach let out a particularly deep rumble he was reminded that this was due to the fact that the people were probably eating dinner. It was not quite time for him and Autumn to eat. They were due to be at the Weasley's house at six o'clock for a large Weasley Feast at the Burrow.

So here he sat on the swing set with Autumn. Draco's gaze was not trained to anything in particular. In fact, if you look at him as he sat there, you could almost say he was sleeping with his eyes open. Honest to Goodness, Draco knew that he was not sleeping, for the scene was far too peaceful to be one of his dreams. Night terrors of his past faults, the way that he used to shamelessly treat people, that one night in his sixth year… Suddenly he sat straight up on the swing, the cool metal of the chain no longer resting against his cheek as he mentally scolded himself for thinking of that. The war had almost ended a year after that night, and after that things had begun to settle down, for the most part. True enough, Voldemort was still high in power, as he had demonstrated the other night, but he was not too quick to make a move right now.

Draco was one of the few whom suffered true hardships after the war. His father had been killed from, for lack of a better word, stupidity. You cannot expect to be able to follow a senile old man on his march across the country killing people who are "dirty" and expect to come out of it consequence free. One thing that had really rooted Draco to the spot was the death of his mother. No matter how many angles he hit it at, no matter how many ways he placed the causes and effects, and no matter how many people had tried to convince him otherwise, it was his fault. Voldemort got into Hogwarts because he found a way to get in through Knockturn Alley. Voldemort had let the Death Eaters into the unsuspecting school one night with the hopes of getting rid of his longtime enemy, Albus Percival Wulfric Bryan Dumbledore. The plan originally called for Draco to be the one to kill him, if only to show his allegiance to the Dark Lord and his group of crazies. True enough, this deed did not go down in flames (but rather it did go off the roof 0.o ) but the Dark Lord did feel as if Draco needed to be punished.

It is a widely known fact that leaving the Dark Lord's posse is unquestionable, but to betray him in deed is far worse of a punishment. Some people find this out the hard way. There was nothing like having to torture your own mother to show meekness to your superiors. No matter how many times his therapists had told him that it was better to talk about it, Draco could not understand the purpose. Each and every time that he was forced to recall what happened, occasionally under St. Mungo's orders to use Veritaserum, he felt worse and worse than he should have. Recollection is the key to finding what is truly bothering you, but sometimes things are just meant to let go so that the being can move on.

An overwhelming pressure took over Draco and he leaned forward to put his elbows on his knees, his face cupped in his trembling hands. He blinked furiously, trying to get his misty eyes to dry. He barely registered the halting of the squeaking chains next to him in a sign that Autumn had stopped to watch him. He did, however, register the smell of the dirt that swirled about their feet at her movement. Watery grey eyes met the soft green eyes of the young girl. She had hated to see Draco cry, she told him so last night as he put her to bed in the guest bedroom, but he could not help himself no matter how hard he tried right now. The memories were just too painful.

Draco watched as her small hand came to rest on his shoulder, the futile attempt from the child to just let him know that he was not alone in his troubles. He knew that Autumn missed her parents dearly, but she was handling the death of them much better than he was the death of his own two parents. His father was an ass, but he was still nice company when he was away from others. He would always remember his mother as his best friend. She was the person that he told everything to, they laughed and made jokes together, and the two of them would forever be known as the best dance pair the country had ever seen.

Draco lifted a shaky hand and wiped the sweat off his brow with the overly-long sleeve of his white button-up shirt. Draco felt something scrape against his face, just under his right eye and he did not think anything of it until Autumn reached up and ran her finger across it, making it sting like mad. Pulling his hand out of his sleeve he ran his own finger gingerly along it. The open wound, though small and thin, was sticky to the touch as most wounds were before the blood started to seep into it to protect it. Looking down at the incriminating sleeve he found that the button had been chipped for some reason or another. Draco, not being an expert on mending clothing; no matter how many years of schooling he had, hastily unbuttoned the cuff so that he would not risk scratching himself again. He rolled the sleeve up to hide the troublesome plastic.

With a deep inhale and exhale Draco slowly forced himself to calm down. His watch gave a short _beep_ and he allowed himself a small smile.

"Guess what?" he questioned as the hand on his shoulder tightened in surprise at his first spoken words of the five o'clock hour. "We're late…" he said to answer Autumn's inquiring look.

As her green eyes went wide she said, "Uh-oh, Grandmom won't be happy."

"No, she won't, unless we hurry."

With matching grins the two set off at a sprint for the alley at the middle of the block. The people who were still out on the street as the two of them passed gave them odd stares and questioning brows as the young girl sprinted with all her might and the young man had kept pace with her. The thundering footsteps came to a halt and were followed by a thundering _pop_ such as one might hear at the opening of a champagne bottle. The passerby stared for a minute longer at the alley that was filled with nothing but wall to wall silence and then went on their merry way.

* * *

Fifty miles away the two parading patrons popped panting at their destination of right outside the Burrow door. Draco lifted his arm to knock on the wood. A mad rustling of footsteps came from behind the doorway and in the next instance Molly Weasley replaced the sturdy wooden door.

"Autumn! Draco! I'm so glad you're here, and I finally get someone who shows up early! Wonderful, just wonderful!"

"But, Mrs. Weasley, we're five minutes late," Draco said, referencing his watch once more.

"Nonsense, Draco. I set times a half hour early because everyone shows up late anyway and it gives me an excuse to yell at them," she told him with a smile and a wink.

"In we go," one of the twins said picking up Autumn and squeezing his way through the threshold.

"Did Fred come home with you?" Molly asked him before he could get too far away.

"Yes, _George_ came in through the back door because he figured he would get in less trouble that way." Fred stated as he walked down the small hallway, and turning into a room off to the left.

Draco felt like an idiot standing on the doorstep while the others carried on with the conversation. It was a strange feeling to be accepted, almost instantly, into a family that had once shunned him and his family. Apparently through, the past was just that, sitting behind them, telling them everything they had once done, both the good and the bad, though it stays true in it's resolve to be unchangeable. He could not figure out why he was accepted so quickly. The most prominent reason was because he was taking care of Autumn, the beloved granddaughter and niece. But the fact that they actually invited him along and did not just take her, plus the added fact that three Weasleys had visited him at his house and actually held conversations with him brought Draco to believe that there was an ulterior motif to their actions.

As if sensing his distress, Mrs. Weasley turned her shaking head back to Draco and said, "I'm so sorry, dear, I just worry about what went wrong with those two growing up."

"I don't see anything wrong. Just two curious boys whom have a knack for knowing what people want and possessing the brains to make items to meet those demands," Draco said lightly. After he finished the statement the part of him that shunned polite society made him mentally scold himself for something so foolish. Trying to look as if he had not mess himself up, he waited with anticipation for Mrs. Weasley's reaction.

Slowly, as if the sands of the hourglass of time had been tilted horizontally to retard their progress, Mrs. Weasley looked passed him to view the yard then looked back into his steely gray eyes. "I'm sure that you're tired of hearing this, but you really are so much like your father was. not in the department of evil ways, but you can find abstract, yet legitimate ways to redeem a person's despicable qualities."

Draco just stood watching her. His mind stopped listening after the word 'father'. He just could not understand why people would say "I'm sure you're tired of hearing this" but then they go on and tell you it anyway. He knew it was human nature to want to inform, but it was in his nature to want to repel the memories he had of his father.

Mrs. Weasley must have realized that she touched upon a thin line because she pulled him into a tight hug.

When she let him move back only an arms' length away she said, "Get off of my doorstep," she said simply.

Immediately, as if he had been expecting this rejection all along, Draco walked off the porch throwing his hands in the pockets of his khakis and somberly started off down the walkway. He did not bother to apparate because his mind was just too busy to concentrate on what it needed to. At the calling of his name, he turned on the spot and turned his drooping head to the porch where Mrs. Weasley stood smiling sadly at him.

"You've marched off of my doorstep the wrong way, dear. I invited Autumn and _you,_ so get yours into this house right now before I kick it!" She mockingly scolded him.

Draco had to restrain the chuckle that threatened to escape his throat at his own ignorance. Feeling the burning sting of his own shame flushing his face, he walked back up to the porch to where Mrs. Weasley stood. She placed a hand on his back and guided him inside as if she were afraid he would sprint in the other direction.

* * *

Dinner came and went in an hour of shoving down a mixture of meats and vegetables and talking about nothing forever, with the adults casually sipping at a glass of wine. The aftereffects of dinner were nothing to be proud of though. Everyone had ended up going outside to play around and have fun, save for Draco. The poor boy was beginning to avoid the sun like the plague. In the two days that he and Autumn had been together a majority of their time was spent outside, being outside meant being in the sun. Apparently, in the twenty-four years that he had decided to shield himself from the sun had gone to waste in those brief periods due to the fact that the sun had decided to take its vengeance. All skin he had exposed at the park (shall we not jump to the gutter so quickly, folks?) was a beet-red and stung like angry bees in the middle of July. As a result, he found himself sprawled in an armchair with the footrest raised, not daring himself to move for fear of bringing himself more pain. In his hand he held a wine glass full of water.

Since Draco had turned eighteen, the alcohol had become something of a friend to him. It had taken the most stressful situations in his life and flushed them all down the toilet. So the instant that Mrs. Weasley had sat down in the living room with him and had begun to question him about his tantrums that Autumn had privately told her he was having, he wanted a drink. Over the past year though, Mrs. Weasley had discovered about this problem when he came to their side and thought it was her duty to squash it out of him. To help out with this problem, Mrs. Weasley had allowed him to keep all of the wine glasses he had in his apartment, but he was not allowed to keep alcohol in his house at all. Anywhere he went, no matter who he met with, knew he was not allowed to have the slightest bit of alcohol. She had banned him from cleaning off the table during Order meetings because she seemed to think he might be desperate enough to drink something someone had left over, despite the fact that he seemed against touching any dinnerware that anyone else had touched.

The more and more that Mrs. Weasley had interrogated him about what he was going through, the more and more uneasy he became. The uneasiness had gotten to the point where his hand was continually drumming on the arm of the couch to release his nervousness. Eventually, Mrs. Weasley had gotten tired of hearing the drumming and asked Hermione, who was on her way to the kitchen, to get Draco a small drink so he would calm down. When Hermione returned with the glass that had only a gulp of the amber liquid in it, Draco thought he was in Heaven. His head fell back against the chair and he thanked whoever it was above that had allowed this to happen.

Politely, but hurriedly, Draco took the glass and, after thanking Hermione, he gulped down the drink. The fact that it did not burn his throat as it went down only passed through his mind for a brief moment. He twitched as Hermione's hand came to rest against the side of his neck, the coolness of her wedding ring giving a pleasant sensation against his fried skin. It was then that he felt the zap to his brain hit him. Instantly, his vision blurred and his mind felt oddly detached from his body. As his body fell limp, his head falling against the back of the chair once again, and the water glass in his hand tipping over and falling to the floor with a splash and a crack, Draco realized that it was not alcohol they had given him, it was a sleeping draug-


	3. Flour Power!

A/N: I finished this at one in the morning (and had to be up four hours later) be happy . Would somebody be nice enough to review, I know a lot of you are reading it; I watch the stats like a hawk, I love feedback so much. ENJOY! (It is unbeta'd, Word is being a...not very nice program...) --(disclaimer in first chapter)--

* * *

Chapter Three: Flour Power!

One month. It had been one sodding month since lives had begun to fall apart and slowly sew themselves back together. The easiest, yet most complex of the stitchings had found ways to entertain themselves with miniscule things to fill the empty spaces in their hearts. The two said people could be found in the boy's roomy apartment though the two different rooms they occpied were supported by two completely different moods. Where the young man lay on the couch in the living room, his antsy behavior noticeable by the way that he kept blowing his fine blonde tresses off of his forehead.

Recently he had a haircut that he desperately needed, but in retrospect he should have waited. The little girl who looked as if she had not yet been old enough to get out of high school let alone old enough to be trusted with his hair. He would have gone where he usually did but low and behold, he began to avoid the Wizarding World due to the fact that it had become common knowledge that Draco had Autumn. One man whom ehe had known his entire life through his father's acquaintences walked up to him in the middle of the street and taunted him because the only way that he could get a child with his "condition" was to take somebody else's.

Draco, of course, knewjust what "condition" the man was talking of. From the time he had turned thirteen, the man had always told him that his parents were expecting him to be a girl and what a shocker it was when he was born. The man had also taunted Draco about having a "girlish physique" due to his small stature and thin build. Many a time he was threatened to be put in a dress if he did not stop "clinging" to Blaise, but at the time Draco was not quite sure what the man was taking about.

Certainly, he was not that naive at the time, but what was wrong with hanging around your best friend all of the time? Nowadays Draco looked back upon those days and laughed about how oblivious they were at to what people were saying behind their backs.

_"News repots continue to fly in, quite literally, by owl post sayind today has been declared a world-wide day of mourning in remembrance of the loss of Harry Potter and the lives of the many others who have been lost to this grueling w-"_ The radio that was broadcasting the W.W.N. special bulliten had been whacked on top by a slender hand and instantly stopped it's insistant chatter.

"How are we doing out there?" The young man asked the young girl wo was bustling around the kitchen making a ruccuss. When a frustrated growl was all he received in response he sat up, looking over the back of the couch. Autumn stood behind the island holding a large black bowl in her arms. "That bad?" He jumped over the back of the couch to survey the damage done to his kitchen.

To say the very least, it was one litle girl versus a giant bag of flour. The white powder was spewed all across the island, coated the floor and counter, and seemingly drowned the little girl from the top of her wavy red hair to the tip of little black sneakers. Draco had to supress a gale of laughter that threatened to break loose for fear of making the little girl spill the tears that wer welling up, adding a glassy sheen to her bright green eyes. "Well, this is new," he said observing the fiasco. "Okay, is there still useable flour in the bowl?" the little girl nodded and he continued, "Well, then put the bowl on the island while we clean up."

Scrupulously, Autumn heaved the large bowl up onto the central counter space. At the sight of how precariously the bowl was perched on the edge of the island and as Autumn released it and started to back away it began to slowly lean toward its unsupported side. Draco made a mad dash to save what little flour remained but it was him against time and the ever-so-horrible law of gravity. Instead of grabbing the bowl, he ended up grabbing the other side of the island after slipping on the linoleum floor and sending the kitchen into a dust cloud of white flour. The clattering of the plastic bowl was the only confirmation Draco needed to know that he completely missed his target.

When the flour had resettled, Draco was still sprawled across the island as his grey eyes watched Autumn fall to the floor sitting in the dust, obviously defeated. Draco pulled his body across the marble top and swiftly three himself onto the floor in front of Autumn.

"What's wrong, Autumn?"

"G-Grandmom makes it look so easy..." she said with a sniffle.

"Grandmom makes everything look easy, that should be the least of your worries."

"But I made such a mess!" she exclaimed and Draco's greatest fear came about, she had started crying. Draco had not the slightest phantomable idea why the sight of anyone crying made him so antsy, but it did. His psychiatrist had suggested that it may have been due to the fact that there were countless nights during his childhood where he had spent the evening into the early morning curled up in a ball crying because of his parents. More often then not when his father had come home from Death Eater meetings badly bruised (to put it lightly). The tears had flowed from both his mother and father, though his mother's had probably been fueled by rage at the situation.

Needless to say, Draco was none too happy that his therapist, of all people, had figured out what was so blatantly obvious.

"Autumn, the mess is nothing and is easily cleaned with magic. The purpose of making messes is to have fun with them before they go away. Go for it, pick up some flour and toss it somewhere." At the end of his statement, Draco was taken aback at the face full of flour he had received. With the mock annoyed pursing of his lips, Draco pretended to glare at the young girl as she gathered another fist full of flour and was stealthily circling around him. The graceful movements that he used were enough to make a cat jealous as he stalked on his hands and knees around the island, the slippery flour aiding him in his conquest.

When Autumn realized that he was close, she shrieked and ran toward the couch, the only safehaven she could think of. Draco dove to try to get her but she moved just a little too quickly for him. Instead of stopping when he hit the foor, the carpet decided to be mean to him and allow him to skid across and leave a nice brush burn on him. As he sat up rubbing his chest and Autumn started tearing up, the doorbell went off. In his haste to answer the door, the fact that he was wearing black sweatpants and a black shirt that had both just become veterans of Flour Wars went completely over his head. He pulled the door open with a quick turn of the handle and a swift tug to reveal one of the only neighbors that he talked to, Erin.

"Draco, I really appreciate the fact that you're trying to get in touch with your feminine side but the make-up is supposed to go on your face, not the clothes you decided to wear," she said, the laughter evident in her voice.

"Well, thank ou for that wonderful advice, and, word to the wise, flour does not make a good powder."

"Oh, honestly, you people will try such crazy things these days. You're a _very pretty boy_ without the make-up, I can assure you. Blaise will be more than pleased once you get out of the make-up phase." At the roll of his eyes she knew that she had won and immediately she continued. "Anyways, what I came over to see is why you haven't stopped in yet, it is Sunday."

"Odd day. I can tell you more about it later if you're going to be home, day around ninish?" Draco said with a calculating look as if he were trying to move invisible appointments out of the way.

"Great, but my brother, Aaron, is staying with me while he's in town so I'm coming over here to escape him."

"Sounds like a plan," he said with a grin.

"Okay, meet you here," Erin said after sharing a quick kiss with Draco she pulled the door shut behind her.

With a satisfied grin, Draco turned and leaned up against the door. "Well, Autumn, shall we get cleaned up before Grandmom gets here and throws a fit?"

By eight-thirty the kitchen and living room were spotless, the laundry had been done and the two citizens of the house had both received two scrubbings. Apparently when flour got we it loved to stick to everything, especially hair. Draco noticed that throughout the duration of the afternoon, Autumn kept shooting him weird looks. The answer to why she was doing this was revealed when Molly showed up on the hearth. Immediately, Autumn ran over to her and began frantically saying, "Grandmom! Grandmom! You'll never believe what Draco did today. It was strange, Grandmom! Draco-" she tugged on Molly's sleeve to get her to come closer. "Draco _kissed a girl..._" she said in what she thought was a whisper.

"He didn't!" Molly said in feigned shock.

"He did!" Autumn confirmed.

"Oh, well you go ahead then, and I'll be right along after I have a chat with Draco about kissing girls."

Once Autumn was certain that Molly had control of the situation, she Flooed to the Burrow.

"Now, Draco, honestly, what were you thinking kissing that young lady? You should be ashamed of yourself, young man," Molly said in a you-should-know-better-than-that tone.

With what seemed to be the releasing of a choked sob, Draco felt to his knees at Molly's feet. "I'm so sorry! She was just so pretty and she said that all of the cool kids were doing it and I didn't want to seem like a loser! I don't think I could handle being a loser!"

"You are not allowed to go near my sons anymore," Molly said thoughtfully as Draco got to his feet. "Well I shall see you after you get done work tomorrow." The two embraced and Molly went through the fire just moments before the door bust open and there stood Erin. Her black hair had received a purple dye-job at the edges since he had last seen her a few hours ago.

"Hey, stud how have you been?" Erin said as she walked in.

"Busy," he said with a small laugh.

"Apparently, the apartment isn't completely white anymore," she said stalking over to him and planing a kiss firmly on his lips. "I must say, it really is much better without all of the makeup," she said, obviously remembering the heaviness of the flour that was left on her lips after their last kiss. She gave him a playful shove on the chest to which he winced. "What happened to you?"

"Carpet burn during Flour Wars earlier."

"Well did you clean it?"

"Does soap in the shower count?"

"If you want it to scar, then yes. Go in your room, shirt off, and lay on the bed."

"Ooh, very kinky, Ma'am."

Erin rolled her eyes as she went to the bathroom and grabbed the bottle of rubbing alcohol and the jar of cotton balls.

"Hands above your head, no complaining." She made quick work of dousing the first ball in the antibacterial liquid but as she ran it across the burn he pulled himself into a ball because of the stinging. "Wuss, sit still," she said and climbed up to sit on his legs, successfully pinning his lower body. The rest of the cleaning process went by very well. After a short time Erin had closed the alcohol bottle to keep it from evaporating and leaned over Draco. "Well, Sir, that should complete tonight's medical lesson, unless there was another matter that you need taken care of..."

"I can think of one..." he teased in a light tone. At her challenging look, Draco reached up and pulled her down to him, embracing her in a passionate kiss. The cotton of her shirt kept rubbing lightly against his bare chest and he hissed in pain when she lay completely atop him. Her hands continued to move lower down his body as her lips took to kissing the side of his neck. As she placed her hands on either side of his hips, she felt something slim and hard against his right side and she slowly slipped it out to reveal the thin piece of wood. When she brought it up to where she could see it, she looked at the boy laying beneath her, studying his face more closely.

"So you really _are_ Draco Malfoy..."

* * *

Review please!!!!! I beg of you, please don't make me be nice to Draco...it would simply ruin his life... 


End file.
